NONDEGENERATE CONTINUUM MODEL FOR POLYMER LIGHT-EMITTING-DIODES

We present a device model to describe polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) under bias conditions for which strong electrical injection does not occur (i.e., reverse, zero, and weak forward bias). The model is useful to interpret: capacitance-voltage measurements, which probe the charged trap density in the PLEDs; electroabsorption measurements on PLEDs, which probe the built-in electric field in the device; and internal photoemission measurements, which probe the effective Schottky barriers at the contacts of the PLED. The device model is based on the low-density nondegenerate continuum model for the electronic structure of polymers. Polarons and bipolarons are the principal charged excitations in this model. Polarons are singly charged excitations which play the primary role in charge injection and in experiments such as internal photoemission which probe single particle interface properties. Bipolarons are doubly charged excitations which can play an important role in establishing Schottky barriers at metal/polymer interfaces, In the device model, the region of the polymer near each contact is assumed to be in quasiequilibrium with that contact. The charge density as a function of position is found from the electrostatic potential and equilibrium statistics. Poisson's equation is integrated to determine the electrostatic potential. We find that a large charge density is transferred into the polymer if the chemical potential of a contact is higher than the negative bipolaron formation energy per particle or lower than the positive bipolaron formation energy per particle. The transferred charge pins the Fermi level and establishes the effective Schottky barrier. If the contact chemical potential is between the formation energy per particle of the two types of charged bipolarons, there is little charge transfer into the polymer and the Fermi level is not pinned. The electric field in the device is found for different contacts and bias conditions, Capacitance as a function of voltage is calculated for various trap binding energies and densities. The calculated results are used to interpret recent measurements on PLEDs. (C) 1995 American Institute of Physics.